Welcome back to Lemire County, Multiversity’s column dedicated to the work of Jeff Lemire. Thanks to our friends at Dark Horse Comics, we’ve got an early look at the titles coming in August 2021 for Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s World of Black Hammer.
Jeff Lemire! Tyler Crook!
FROM THE WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER
THE UNBELIEVABLE UNTEENS #1 (of 4)
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Tyler CrookOn sale August 11, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
MiniseriesFrom the world of the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer series comes this meta team superhero saga taking place between two different worlds.
After signing at a comic book convention, Unbelievable Unteens artist Jane Ito finds herself visited by one of the characters from her own creation—but was it her own creation? Were the Unteens an actual school of teenaged misfit superheroes who battled supervillains under the lead of the mysterious Dr. Miles Moniker? And if so, who wiped their memories and why? As Jane’s world is turned upside down and she learns the true nature of her identity she discovers a sinister plot leading her to assemble a team she had suspected was purely fictional.
• An exciting reimagination of the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer series!
Mark Tweedale: I’ve been waiting for this series ever since the ‘Horrors to Come’ short story from 2019’s Free Comic Book Day. Part of the reason I’m so excited for it is because we’re in the midst of Phase II of “Black Hammer” now. Phase I was built around Lemire and Ormston’s farm plotline, and that series played things close to the vest. I mean, it took two whole arcs before they revealed the titular character was Lucy Weber, and while the series had always had aspects of metafiction to it, it wasn’t until the series was in its third year that Colonel Weird discovered Jeff Lemire, bringing the metafiction to the foreground and making it a foundation of Black Hammer’s worldbuilding.
Now that those cards are on the table, I feel like the series is open to tell weirder stories, and Black Sabbath, as a ghost that discovers he’s a comic book character, seems like the perfect vessel for these ideas. The solicitation for this first issue makes me think of Satoshi Kon’s “Opus,” and if that’s the mind bending direction Lemire and Ormston want to take their world, I am so there for it. (“Opus” is such a fantastic read, by the way.) Plus, I’m thrilled to have Tyler Crook on art. He’s great at sad characters and horror and the weird.
BLACK HAMMER: VISIONS #7 (of 8)
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Illustrated by Melissa Duffy
Colored by Bill Crabtree
Lettered by Nate PiekosOn sale August 18, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
OngoingExiled in a world of forgotten heroes and villains known as Limbo Land, Ms. Moonbeam hopes one day to be released and put back into a main story of her own—all of that gets thrown into a major existential crisis with the arrival of Colonel Weird into her world, leading her on a quest to find her way out of Limbo Land.
Mark: More stuff leaning heavily into the metafictional side of “Black Hammer.” Honestly, the Limbo Land stuff is one of the most exciting frontiers in this series. Ms. Moonbeam is an out-of-continuity character that never made it to the pages of “Black Hammer”. . except when she did in “Black Hammer: Age of Doom” #6–7. Part of what’s interesting about her is that she was meant to be a villain, but since she was never part of the “continuity,” she’s writing and rewriting herself into existence. Considering this is coming from Cecil Castellucci (who wrote “Soupy Leaves Home,” a story about escape and identity), I’m excited to delve into a tale about Ms. Moonbeam’s self determination.
Continued belowBLACK HAMMER: REBORN #3 (of 12)
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Caitlin Yarsky
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Nate PiekosOn sale August 18, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
OngoingTwenty years ago, Lucy Weber fought madmen and monsters—today she finds her marriage falling apart and her children in danger. And now past threats—and rogue heroes—return to herald the end of the world!
Mark: It’s not a coincidence that all the characters in “Black Hammer” are either retired or legacy characters. Legacy is at the heart of this world, and I think that’s a big part of the reason this series jumps over Lucy’s career as the Black Hammer to a time when she’s put all that behind her and she’s dealing with the fallout from it.
Also, I appreciate the short solicitation blurb here—they’re keeping the story for the comic. I’m really looking forward to picking up the first issue of this series next month.
